


Ashes

by Nerd_Apocalypse_0, TheBrothersRowe, WolfOfTheDead



Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: AU, F/F, F/M, Gore, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Major AU, Mutilation, Plot Twists, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-23
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2019-10-15 06:39:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17523734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nerd_Apocalypse_0/pseuds/Nerd_Apocalypse_0, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBrothersRowe/pseuds/TheBrothersRowe, https://archiveofourown.org/users/WolfOfTheDead/pseuds/WolfOfTheDead
Summary: Four years. It had been four years since he had seen home. But here he was. Back at Ericson's. It was a shame it wasn't under better circumstances. Now broken, Aasim is on the run from DELTA, the very people that broke him. Aided by a woman named Sara, and the twins, Aasim had to fight back the very people that destroyed him to stop it from happening to his friends.





	1. Episode 1: The Other Side, Act 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is written, like the game. But there is no Branching paths, the creators have made the choices.

“Come on, Aasim..Keep moving..You have people counting on you.” 

“Aasim, come on! Keep pace!” He quickly looked up, seeing Sara a few paces ahead of him now. Nodding, he quickly jogged up, catching up to the other three. “We can’t afford to slow down,” Sara stated.

“Yes ma’am, sorry,” Aasim spoke. Sara scowled a bit at this, “Aasim we’ve talked about this.”. He paused for a moment, before nodding, his ponytail bobbing a bit from the gesture. “Yes, mom.” He said, and Sara smiled at the gesture.

“If you two are done, can we actually mention a plan?” The two of them looked forward, finding Minerva and Sophie waiting for them. “Walk and talk then,” Aasim commented, anxiously looking back. Sara noticed, “Remember that story I told you about Lukas?”. “Which one?” He shot back. She scoffed, looking at him. “You little shit.”.

“Lukas, he was not smart. So, one day while hunting with our papa, he decides to go take a leak without asking he goes to take a leak. And he-” “he squats in a poison ivy bush.” they said at the same time. A faint smile tugged on his lips, making her smile. “Guess I’m getting predictable.” She chuckled. “Not even.” Aasim commented.

The two shared a smile when there was a yell in front of them. “Shit.” The two of them bursted into a run.

Arriving to the source of the noise, the found themselves in a clearing. “Minerva!” Sara shouted, seeing the twins struggling. Minerva looked back frantically, struggling to pull her twin free from the walkers clutches. Aasim glared, looking at Sara, who nodded at him firmly.

Without a moment's hesitation, he slid his katana from his hilt, rushing forward. “DUCK!” He shouted. Sophie gasped, leaning back quickly, watching as in a swift motion Aasim cut the walkers head clean off.

Panting, Minerva helped her twin to her feet, concern in her pale eyes. “Are you okay?” Minerva asked after hugging her sister, checking her over. “I’m fine Minnie, just, my leg.” She grimaced, making Minerva frown. Aasim looked at the walker as he put his blade away, then turned to the two girls. He was angry for them not staying focused, but he was also extremely worried.

“Were you hurt?” There was no point in yelling at them, both understood the mistake. Sophie shook his head, making her sigh in relief. Sara’s eyes landed on Sophie’s legs, making the woman look back. “We got some time. I think we can afford to sit for an hour or two.” Sara explained. The twins sighed in relief, immediately moving to sit.

“I’ll patrol.” Aasim nodded, Sara looked up from her spot next from the twins, giving him a firm nod.

Keeping his katana on hand, he walked through the forest. His thoughts were a bit trouble, he felt relieved that they escaped, but there was this fear he had. It worried him, what if the Delta finds them? Honestly, he wasn’t worried about himself, he was more worried about the twins and Sara.

Faint growls caught his attention, making his grip tighten around his weapon. “A distraction.” He thought out loud, heading over to the noises. He narrowed his eyes, ahead of him, were three lone walkers stumbling along. Perfect distraction. 

Pressing his lips together, he whistles, catching the rotting bone bags attention. Tightening his grip on his katana, he walked forward, his eyes narrowing. The walkers, turned around, growling loudly. With a swift motion, the blade tore through the walkers mouth. A growl behind him, causing him to turn around. Aasim went to pull his blade out, only for it to be lodged in it’s mouth. “SHIT.” He swore, struggling as the walker approached him.

A loud bang filled the air, making him turn around to see Sara holding her silenced handgun. Tearing his katana free, he grimaced as she approached, a scowl on the woman’s face. Sara stepped over the walkers, standing face to face with Aasim. “What did you do wrong?” She asked. Aasim gulped, “I hesitated…”. “You know the rules, you’re lucky I decided to check on you.” Sara remarked, pocketing her gun. Hearing those words made him think back.

“What are the rules?” Sara asked, facing him as they were packing up. They had to leave, it was now or never. The rules were meant to keep them alive and human when they left. So they never become like Lilly and her men ever.

Shaking her head, Sara looked at the boy. “Why did you hesitate? It’s the first rule, you never hesitate.” She asked. An unreadable look crossed over Aasim’s features, as he looked at the forest. “This was where I was taken.” He softly spoke. There was a silence between them, before Sara walked forward, embracing Aasim tightly. He tensed slightly, before slowly embracing her back. He knew that she was just worried about him, and he adored her for that, she was the one that has stuck by his side these past four years. 

“Now, get your head together.” Sara said, patting his head. He stared at her, “Please don’t.”. “Alright I won’t you sassy child.” She said. “And I thought you knew kids.” She gave him a look, making him shut up. “Das what I thought.” Sara said, sauntering off back to camp.

He still didn’t understand that fucking woman. Letting out a breath of air, he started to make his way back to camp. 

The boy made it back to camp, and the sun had just started setting. Minerva was starting to roast a rabbit over a fire that Sophie made, pursing her lips softly. “You’re holding it to close.” Sara commented. The ginger giant sighed, shaking her head. “This makes me miss Omar’s cooking. He always knew what to do, made it look so easy.” A sad smile grew on Minerva’s face. Sophie leaned over, holding her sister’s hand.

Sara glanced up at the sky, “Once we eat that rabbit, it’s lights out. We need to get on the move soon, we can’t send too much time out here.” Sara stated. The three nodded, and once the rabbit was done they evenly split it best they could.

“Night.” Sophie softly spoke, laying down on the dirt. Aasim glanced at her, “Night Sophie.”. A small smile appeared on her face, and she slowly dozed off. Aasim sighed   
at the three women that were fast asleep besides him. He hoped he’d be able to sleep. Turning onto his side, he closed his eyes, letting the cold touch of sleep take him.

“Ready to go hunting Aasim?” The young boy looked up to see Marlon standing before him, making him raise a brow. “I thought Louis and Mitch were going with you.” He stated. The blonde shrugged, “Louis is sick and I can’t find Mitch anywhere.”. This made Aasim slightly concerned, what had Mitch done now. Huffing, the 13 year old closed his book, and stood up. “Let’s go.” He said.

Soft whimpered left him as he shut his eyes tightly. No, no not again. He tossed and turned slightly, when a hand was put on his shoulder.

The boy jolted awake, when he recognized the gloved hand on his shoulder. His eyes travelled up, helping him recognize the pair of brown eyes before him. “Relax, it’s just me.” Her grip on his was tough, but never enough to hurt him. Seeing his body relax, she glanced around. “I’m going to patrol real quick. Keep your ears and eyes open.” She stated, and Aasim nodded.

“What do we do when we go somewhere?” Lilly asked, looking at the young boy. Aasim took a nervous gulp, “We tell someone, always.”.

Smiling, she gave him a squeeze on the shoulder, before leaving, vanishing into the tree line. Sara may be tough, but she was the only good person he had left now.

With her gone, he glanced around, noting the twins were asleep. A faint smile grew on his face, seeing the two sisters asleep together. Even after everything, they were so close. Glancing over, he frowned at the makeshift splint over her left leg. Sophie’s leg was injured, so there would be no point in waking her up. 

Stretching, the boy stood, huffing as his hair fell in his face. Damnit, the hair bret must’ve broken in his sleep, great. Christ, why were scissors so hard to find? Stupid hair was to his back now.

Tsking, he sat on one of the logs. His eyes wandering over to the fire, a strange feeling growing within him.

“It’s too late to hesitate now. Do it Ashes.” The young boy trembled, staring at the torch in his hand.

He quickly shook his head, he couldn’t think about that. He didn’t have much time to think of it either as he heard Sara yelling in the distance. The twins both shoot up, wide-eyed. “What the fuck was that?” Sophie asked. Aasim scowled, taking his bow out, “Stay here, be ready for anything.”. Minerva helped Sophie to her feet, and kicked dirt into the remains of the fire.

The three teens ran to the noise, finding a shocking scene. Sara had their backs to them, a knife pressed against some boys neck. One hand holding the knife to his neck, and the other pointing the gun at the girl. Who was stupid enough to mess with his mom? Aasim pursed his lips at the thought, but shook himself back into focus.

“Let him go!” A girl demanded, her bow drawn back. Aasim noticed the arrow had been pointed at Sara’s leg. Of course, probably didn’t want her friend hurt.

The boy in Sara’s grip held his hands up, trembling ever so slightly as the blade was pressed close to his neck, the metal mere centimeters from cutting skin. “C-Clem…” His voice trembled slightly. The girl looked at him concerned, but never changed her aim, “You’re going to be okay, I promise.”. After comforting the boy, a look of anger crossed her features, “Let him go now, before I put an arrow in you!”.

“Try it.” Aasim stepped out from behind Sara, holding his bow. He could faintly hear the girl swear. “Can’t we just, you know talk this out? Have a nice laugh and stuff?” The boy hesitantly asked.

Something about this guy was annoying as hell...but a familiar annoying somehow.

“Let him go! I won’t ask again!” The girl shouted. Sara scoffed, pressing the blade closer, making a small line of blood trail down the boy’s neck. The boy let out a startled wine, whimpering softly. The girl’s expression softened immediately, her aim shaking.

“Okay, I’ll stop! Just please...don’t hurt Louis.” She begged, making Aasim flinch. Holy fuck. Sara scowled at the girl, not moving her grip when suddenly Aasim stepped up to her. “Mom, let him go!” Aasim shouted. “What? Why?!” The woman shouted. “Just fucking do it!” Aasim yelled.

Sara glared, before pushing Louis forward. The girl caught him, looking at him concerned. Louis groaned, standing up. “Okay, lady, I-” He stopped talking, his eyes widening looking at the group. 

“Holy shit…”


	2. Episode 1: The Other Side, Act 2

“Holy Shit...” 

Letting out a breath, Aasim slowly lowered the bow, his eyes widening a bit. No way. He never thought he would see Louis again. At the moment, Aasim felt stuck in place, and all he could do was stare in shock. It felt like a punch to the gut, Aasim didn’t know if he wanted to laugh or just stand there. This was real, this wasn’t some sick dream. He thought, out of the corner of his eye he notices the twins freeze up beside him. 

The boy tensed as two long arms suddenly wrapped around him. Sara immediately pulled her gun out, making Aasim hold a hand up. “Don’t hurt him!” He pleaded, wide-eyed. The woman was surprised by the gesture, lowering her weapon.

A moment passed, and Louis let go of him. God, how could Aasim forget that smile? As annoying as Louis could be, he was one of those things that made survival more than that. He made it worth living for.

He just wished he had him during those years.

“We gotta get you home! The others will be so stoked to see you! Especially you two!” Louis beamed at the twins. Sophie smiled a bit, giving a small wave. Minerva looked at her twin, then to Louis. “Will...will they accept us back?” She asked. Louis looked in surprise, “Of course, why wouldn’t they?”.

The four looked amongst each other, soon turning to the adult in their group. Sara was surprised by the looks, and soon faltered. “We’ll come.” She sighed, making Louis jump with joy.

The six of them were soon on their way to the school. Boots stepping against gravel and dirt. Soft chirps filled the air. Aasim glanced around, nothing changed. It was all the same. Grimacing, he shook his head as the memory creeped back.

“MARLON! MARLON!!!” The young boy screamed, struggling against Abel’s grasp. He gasped in absolute horror, seeing a platinum blonde figure running away in the distance. Stop, no come back! COME BACK! “GET BACK HERE YOU COWARD!”

A strong hand was put on his shoulder, making him look up startled. “Relax, we’re almost there dude.” Louis looked at him skeptically, “Your hair is insanely long.”. “You have no idea how hard it is to find scissors.” Clementine and Aasim remarked at the same time, both stopping to look at each other. “What?” He asked. “What?” She questioned.

“Okay…” Sophie tilted her head at the two as they all kept moving. Looking at Louis, Aasim wondered who else was alive. Erin, Maddie, Lamar, Trey, Stephanie? He grimaced, was that fucking rat, Marlon, still alive?

“So, uh, how is Mitch?” He asks. He was always curious about his best friend, was he still making bombs? Was he still alive? Louis halted for a moment, his brows knitting together as if thinking on how to respond. The gesture put a pit in his stomach. “Don’t worry, he’s fine, just...a little banged up in all.” Banged up was better than dead. Aasim let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding out, relaxing.

On the topic of old friends, Minerva moved forward, looking at Louis. “Louis, what about Violet? Please tell me Violet’s okay.” The ginger begged, her sister coming up beside her, “What about Tenn? Is our brother okay?”.

Louis stopped in his tracks, an unnatural frown falling on his features. Aasim could see Minerva flinch, oh god. “Louis….please, tell me Violet’s okay.” She begged.

Standing silent for a moment, Louis dug his hand through his pockets. “Violet and Brody want hunting a week ago… they didn’t come back so we went looking for them.” Minerva let out a horrified gasp as he pulled a bloody pin from his pocket, “It was all we found…” Minerva shook her head, slowly reaching out, she took the pin from his hand. Aasim frowned, watching as her pace slowed. Sophie frowned, slowing down to stay close to her poor twin. The group moved, a sad silence over them.

The silence didn’t last long, as they soon found themselves at the school gates. “Hey guys, I brought some big wins!” Louis shouted, waving his arms to get the others attention. Mitch looked over, annoyed. “Louis, what the fuck are-” He stopped talking, his eyes wide as he spotted the boy. Despite the many years of aging, he knew who exactly it was.

“A-Aasim?” Mitch fucking leapt off the guard tower. “MITCH!” Ruby scolded, folding her arms over her chest. The brunette wasted no time, rushing over. “Mitch-” Aasim screamed as the taller boy tackled him down in an embrace.

“You’re alive! You dumb fuck your alive!’ Mitch pulled away, glaring at him, “I don’t know whether to hug you more, or fucking slap you!”. Aasim tensed slightly, and Sara suddenly stepped forward, her presence was menacing enough. “Get off of him.” Her voice filled with venom. Mitch got up, glaring at her. “Who the fuck is this?” Mitch scowled.

Sara stepped in front of the kids, glaring. Louis noticed immediately, “Guys come on! We gotta show you off to the others! I mean your finally home!”. The others relaxed, looking inside. Time to face the music.

Walking forward, Aasim could feel all of their attention on him, his heart aching slightly. This...this was a lot less people than he had remembered… “Where….where is everyone..?” Aasim asked.

The kids looked amongst each other, and eventually, Omar spoke up. “We lost 30 people….” Omar confessed, making Aasim’s heart shatter. 30? 30 of them had died? How had 30 more people died in the last four years? When he was taken, there were only three graves. Alex, Jasper, and Dewey.

No one was surprised when the older kids were the first to go. “We’ll take the bigger risk,” Jasper stated. “You’re too young to go out.” Alex would state, especially to his little brother. They wanted to younger kids to stay inside, away from the danger. They’d go out more...and then they’d never come back.

Aasim grimaced softly at the thought, remembering the nights of all the kids crying. The night Louis came to his room weeping, scared for his big brother. Aasim sat with him on his bed, playing go fish with him in hopes of cheering him up. It had worked for a small amount of time, but eventually, paranoia would become too much, a group of them running out to look for the kids, and finding them dead or turned.

“I’m...I’m sorry you guys had to go through that.” He spoke, frowning heavily. “Don’t, it was a long time ago, what matters now is that yal are home.” Ruby slapped a hand on his shoulder, her lips curving into a smile. Louis folded his arms, smirking as he tilted his long neck, “I know just what to do! A big old feast with all of the food we got from the train station!”. The others nodded in agreement, looking at them.

“Well?” Louis asked. Sophie smirked, “I could go for some of Omar’s stew.”. The chef looked over amused, smiling. Minerva gave a slow nod, still mourning the loss of Violet. Even Sara seemed to relax, “We haven’t had a real meal in so long.” Louis smiled, clasping his hands together. “Well, dinner might take a bit. So why don’t you guys take a while and talk to the others?” He suggests. Before he could stop him, Louis was gone.

God, the one thing that scared Aasim more than the raiders and walkers was… social interaction.

Huffing, Aasim was about to walk around when a familiar face caught his attention. “What’s going on?” A young boy, at least 6, stood in front of the admin building, curious about who these new people were. 

A young boy stood besides him, and gasped. “Oh my god, Tennessee!” despite her injury, Sophie ran across the courtyard, nearly knocking her brother down, Minerva wasn’t far behind her, sliding over and embracing their little brother. His heart tugged slightly, and Aasim found himself smiling more than had in a long time.

They were home. He was finally home.

.Sucking it up, Aasim began walking around the courtyard. So many familiar faces all around him. The twins had vanished with Tenn behind one of the brick walls, going to the graveyard he assumed. Jesus, what did it look like now? Ruby stood by the second fireplace, near the benches with that girl from earlier. Mitch was at the couches, Willy and the young boy with Tennessee were there as well. Omar was finishing up dinner, and Louis of course, was bugging him.

Spotting Sara by the wall, he huffed. “If I’m stuck being social, so are you.” He demanded. The woman tsked, pushing back her dark hair. “I ain’t gotta do shit.” The woman scoffed. Aasim scowled, opening his mouth, and Sara immediately covered his mouth. “Fine.” She huffed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

A smirk grew on his face, watching Sara finally walk around. “Now it’s my turn.” Aasim huffed. Sighing he walked towards Mitch and the younger kids, taking a breath he sits down next to his best friend. “Uh, hey.” He said, making the other boy look over, a rare smile on his lips. Willy grinned, making Aasim raise a curious brow. God, the only good thing he would admit about Delta was the fact they have toothbrushes and toothpaste.

His eyes wandered down, spotting the wooden object in Mitch’s hand. Another concerning thing he noticed as the bandages around Mitch’s fist, a worrisome twitch occurring every few seconds in his left hand.

“Are you sure you should working with your hand like that?” Aasim questioned. “I’m doing fine, thank you very much, mother.” Mitch scoffed, “Already got Ruby nagging me and shit.”. “Well, it’s good the group moms nagging you.” He stated. Mitch rolled his eyes, and Willy snickered. “Well see you guys.” The boy turned to leave, when a hand took his, making him turn.

Pale eyes met his dark ones, a huff leaving Mitch’s lips. “It’s...great to have you back.” He said. “Yeah, it’s great to be back.” Aasim turned his face to hide his smile, “Let’s catch up later.”. “Yeah, I’d let that.”

After talking with the two, Aasim started walking around again, approaching Omar and Louis. The two boys looked over, smiling. Omar smiling was something Aasim never expected to see. Louis noticed, letting a horrified gasp, “Oh my god, Omar’s smiling! Who did you kill?”. The chef scowled, “The only dead person will be you if you don’t shut up.”.

Louis let out a noise of annoyance, before turning to Aasim. “Food ain’t done yet, but it is worth the wait I promise! Just wait until you try Omar’s stew, good as ever.” Louis gestured to the pot with a grin. Omar shook his head, “It’s not done yet.”. 

Nodding, Aasim walked off, searching for people to talk too. As he walked around, he spotted Rosie sitting on the steps. He smiled, seeing the dog. “Hey, girl.” He walked over, holding out a hand. Rosie looked at his hand, and turned her head whimpering softly. Aasim frowned, pulling his hand back. Did she not remember? 

Sighing, Aasim walked off, shaking his head. Wandering a bit, he eventually approached the graveyard, frowning. Tenn stood there with the twins. Shaking his head, Aasim walked over. Christ...there were barely any graves there. His heart ached, seeing only four graves. Tenn frowned looked at him, “We didn’t have enough room...some we just didn’t get bodies for.”.

Minerva had her eyes focused on the grave before her, her body still. ‘Violet’ it hurt to see. Aasim and Violet were never the closest, but seeing the grave broke his heart. 

Glancing around the other graves, Aasim shook his head, unable to handle the sight anymore. Grimacing, the boy turned around, wandering around. The only people left were Ruby and the other two from before. Preparing himself for a bone-crushing hug, the boy walked over.

“Hey, Rubs.” Aasim walked over, making the redhead look up in shock. An angered look crossed her features, making him scared. “Wait, Ruby-!” He flinched as she hit him in the arm, “Jesus you hit hard.”. “That’s for leavin!” Before he could respond, she hugged him tightly, “And that’s for finally coming back.”. He wasn’t a very...on contact person, but feeling Louis and Ruby hug him was amazing.

Letting go, he noticed the girl from before staring him down. “Oh right, Clementine, AJ! This here is Aasim, an old friend of ours we lost a long time ago.” Clementine rose a brow at him, a soft smile forming on her lips, AJ tilts his head to the side giving him a curious look. “Louis told us so much about you,” She said, holding her hand out to him. A feeling washed over him and he smiled softly, taking her hand, shaking it gently. 

“I didn’t expect Louis to talk about me…” He laughed a bit, pulling his hand away his gaze falling on the child next to her. Clementine must have noticed and cleared her throat, “This little Goofball is AJ, say hi AJ.” She said motioning to him, AJ tilts his head curiously before giving a small wave. Cautious kid, Aasim respected that. Pursing his lips, Aasim didn’t really know what else to say. A small huff leaves his lips as some of his hair falls in his eyes, pushing it back he glances over at Ruby.

“Hey, uh, Rubs?” He asks. The girl glances over, biting his lip he leans a little close and whispers to her, “Do you still have those old scissors?” Ruby laughs softly and arches a brow, “Want me to cut off that rats nest?” He glares at her playfully and bumps her shoulder, he missed her… He missed everyone. Ruby swats at his arm and crosses her arms. 

“Follow me, nerd.” She motions for him to follow her. Damn, she was fast as hell, he picked up his pace and followed after her. As they walked down the old withering halls, so many memories flooded his mind, this place hasn’t changed much at all. 

Following her to her room, Aasim had to stop at the doorway. “Nothing’s changed…” Aasim whispered. Same planets in the corners of her room, hell even a few more. Ruby always wanted to revive what she could of the greenhouse. The redheaded paused, a soft sigh parting from her lips. “Yeah, made sure to take care of yer favorites.” Despite the sadness in her voice, Ruby smiled, “Tiger lilies, took extra care. Knew you’d wanna see em when ya got back.”.

A weak smile worked its way onto his face, a shaky breath leaving him. “Thanks…” He smiled, eventually following her over to her bed. “Take a seat, I’ll grab the scissors.” Giving a smile, she walked over to the drawer, starting to rummage through it. Deciding to not go against her orders, the boy sat down, taking in the feeling of being back again.

The smells was the first thing he noticed. Each kid just had their own...well smell. Ruby smelled like sunshine and alcohol, medicine most likely. Louis smelled like old instruments, don’t ask, and wood. God, same damned chair leg. Omar smelled like ash and herbs. Mitch, god Mitch smelled like blood and gunpowder. 

Aasim gasped loudly as Ruby put a hand on his shoulder. “Sorry Sim, didn’t mean to spoke ya. Just came to show I found ‘em.” The girl smiled, holding up the pair of scissors, “Now sit yer tall ass down!”.

Even with all the Delta training in the world, Aasim knew, he knew. Ruby would whoop his fucking ass.

Sitting cross-legged on the floor, he let Ruby sit behind him. The southern girl pursed her lips as she held Aasim’s hair in her hand. “How much do you want gone?” She asked. He was probably going to regret this later. “Do whatever you want.” He stated. Smirking, the girl began trimming away at the length.

Trims of raven hair fell, some falling onto his jacket, and others falling onto the floor. Ruby kept trimming, huffing under her breath. “Don’t even sass me, scissors are insane to find.” He commented. “That’s why I keep mah own.” Ruby retorted, holding a handful of his hair, trimming away. The boy glanced back a bit, “You seem to know what you’re doing.”.

There was a moment of hesitation, before she continued cutting the boy’s hair. “Yeah, I knew a thing or two surprisingly. The girls all came to me for. Violet and Minnie especially, heck, they’d come in here together sometimes.” The heartbreak in her voice hurt him.

What if we had escaped sooner?

Shaking her head, Ruby put the scissors down, and took out a comb she had earlier. Tilting her head, she combed back some of his hair, until she stopped, smirking. “And done!” She got up, walking over to the broken mirror above her dresser. Aasim got up as well, following the shorter girl.

“Holy shit Ruby…” Aasim gasped out, looked at himself in the mirror, “I look…”. “”You look like a nerd,” Ruby smirked, putting her hands on her hips. Aasim scoffed, “I do not!”.

Before the two could bicker any longer, the room door swung open. AJ stepped in, tilting his head, “Louis said dinners ready.”. A sigh left Aasim, finally. Glaring at Ruby one last time, the boy followed AJ into the hall, heading out to the courtyard.

Everyone else was already outside, sitting with their own little groups. Even in the apocalypse, people had their cliques. Tsking to himself, the boy walked over. Omar looked up from his cooking pot, pouring him some of the stew. “Thanks...this is more than the others got though ” Aasim spoke, watching Louis walk off with his bowl. “Do not mistake this for love.” Omar scowed.

Yup, same old Omar.

Stepping away from the potentially murderous chef, Aasim took a look around, seeing who he could sit with.

Sara was surprisingly sitting with Clementine and Louis, though it seemed she was trying to get a read on them. And judging by the stone cold look on her face, Clementine was doing the exact same. Louis looked at Aasim, a pleading look on his face as he was stuck between these two femme fatales.

Glancing around, he noticed Mitch, Willy, Omar, and Minerva sitting together. Quite the interesting group. Willy was rambling on about some to Minerva, and he could see the girl’s shoulders shaking with laughter. A soft laugh left Mitch, the boy smirking. Omar meanwhile rolled his eyes, focusing more on the 5-star dish he had prepared.

Then finally, there was Sophie, Ruby, Tenn, and AJ. The younger boys seemed more interested in showing off their drawings to Sophie than eating. The twin giggled, giving the boys a thumbs up. AJ got super excited, running off Clem to tell her. Ruby was just observing the interactions mostly, piping up only once in a while.

Shit, nothing changed, had it? Glancing at the three groups, he debated who he wanted to sit with. Making up his mind, he walks over to where Mitch was sitting and sat across from him. Mitch glances up and a smirk makes its way onto his face, now what? “My god, you look like a nerd.” He snickers, Aasim rolls his eyes fondly, god he missed this dork, “I’ll take that as a compliment.". A soft laugh left Mitch, making Aasim’s stomach do flips.

Some things never change.

Suppressing those thoughts, Aasim glanced at the brunette’s hand. “What happened?” Aasim couldn’t help but ask. Mitch instinctively flinched, refusing to make eye contact with him. “Nothing, I just, messed it up while making a bomb,” Mitch responded far too quickly. Minerva looked at Aasim, clearly concerned.

Aasim huffed, observing Mitch. The non-injured hand was covering the bandaged one, his pale eyes were cast away from him. Yeah, telltale signs Mitch being a huge liar.

Letting out an aggravated huff, Aasim decided not to push on the matter. It would only make him shut him out more. “I… You know, if you ever want to talk, my rooms always open.” Aasim finally said.

He glanced at him, nodding a bit. “Yeah...I know.”.

Louis suddenly stood up, gasping. “That’s right, you guys don’t have a room yet! Don’t worry, I have a solution!” The annoying boy announced. Minerva tilted her head, folding her arms over her chest. “We already have a room.” She responded. AJ frowned a bit, “Sorry, we took it.”. Sophie smiled a bit, “Nah, it’s okay.”. Her sister gave her a look, but she paid no mind.

“Don’t worry folks, there’s plenty of rooms available for all of you,” Louis explained, ready to head inside. Sara stopped him, gently taking his arm. The boy nervously flinched remembering how she held a knife to him earlier that day. Aasim bumped her off, turning to Louis, “Sorry, she does that.”. “Yeah...okay.” Louis hesitantly said, eyeing the woman.

Letting go of Louis, Sara finally spoke, “We should sleep in the same room. All four of us. It’s better this way.”. “Oh come on Sara, we’ll be fine,” Sophie asked. The woman looked back, glaring at her. Sophie flinched, making Minerva glare back.

“We should share a room. It’s...better this way.” Aasim responded, making Sara smile. “I guess,” Minerva muttered.

 

Louis shrugged, leading the four to an empty room. “Alright folks, chis be yer room here I say,” Louis spoke in a very bad accent as he opened the door. Sophie snickered, limping inside. Sara walked in after her, and Aasim was about to follow, when she noticed Minerva standing in the hallway. Taking a step back, he frowned, seeing what it was.

‘Violet’s Room. STAY THE FUCK OUT’ had been carved into the worn down wood. Minerva stared at the door, her head dropping. “Shit…” She breathing out, holding her face in her hands. “You need a minute?” Aasim asked. “I...yeah…” Minnie nodded slowly. Louis and Aasim made eye contact, frowning.

“Sleep well, guys,” Louis said, walking off. Aasim gave him a small waved. Sophie grunted as she sat on the bed, lifting her injured leg onto the mattress. Sara vaulted her body onto the top bunk, easily rolling on. “Always extra,” Aasim muttered. Looking around, he had to make one of the hardest choices ever.

Do I want the top or bottom bunk?

After several seconds of thinking, he gave in, walking to the bottom bunk. He probably couldn’t get up anyways. Sitting on the bed, he looked at the others. Sophie rolled over, her ginger hair in her face as she removed her ball cap earlier. “Night guys,” Sophie whispered. “Night Garfield.” Sara teased. She might be a hardass, but she could be sweet.

“Who’s Garfield?” Minerva questioned, entering the room finally. “Oh my god, another thing you don’t know! Next thing one of you will say is that you don’t know what He-Man was.” Aasim smirked, slowly raising his hand, and getting a pillow thrown at his face. “GOODNIGHT.” Sara huffed, rolling onto her side.

A soft chuckle left Aasim, and he laid on his back. “Night…” He whispered, finally letting slumber take control.


	3. Ashes: Episode 1: The Other Side, Act 3

“Keep moving.” 

 

Aasim huffed as the grip on his shoulder tightened, making him wince. He shivered slightly, as Lilly lead him down multiple halls, Aasim had to bite back the urge to ask where she was taking him. He didn’t want to be here and Marlon’s betrayal was still fresh in his mind, how could Marlon just leave him? What was going to happen? What was Marlon going to tell the group? A shiver runs down his spine as they enter a big room. 

“Rockingham!” Lilly yelled, making a light tan woman look up in shock from the behind the cabinets, “As you can see, we have a new recruit. Do his physical, and get him settled in a room.” Lilly demands and leaves room, slamming the door on her way out. Aasim flinched slightly, and looks up when the woman comes over and crouches so she is at his height, a soft smile tugging at her lips. 

The woman had long dark brown, lush curls reaching her back. Surprisingly warm brown eyes for someone who worked here. Light freckles coated her faces, most being found on her nose. A more interesting feature was the necklace she had on her.

“Hey there bud, I’m Sara, but most people call me Aiden.” She explains, “I’m the doctor here, so I need to check you over to see if you are in good shape.”.

Aasim frowns, tilting his head a bit, was she like the others he has encountered so far? “Y-you won’t h-hurt m-me?” He stutters grimacing a bit. A look of horror seemed to cross her features when he said that, her brows raising. It took her a moment to compose herself, taking a deep breath. It took her a moment to relax, taking a breath to calm herself down.

Biting at her lip, she glanced around, rubbing her necklace, when her eyes widened. Looking back to Aasim, the woman smiled, holding up a necklace. It was single black thread holding six gemstones. A sapphire, emerald, ruby, pink tourmaline, aquamarine, and a diamond. Birthstones he quickly realized.

"See this? Each one is from one my siblings, we all had one so our bond could be closer. Each time we lost one, we'd keep their stone to always remember them.” Aasim smiles a bit, Sara wasn’t like the others, she had this motherly nature about her, it… It was comforting in a way. 

“A-are you sure?” He asks, Sara nodded and gave him a strong confident smile. “Yeah,” she lifts up her long hair and takes the necklace off, holding it out to him. Aasim reaches out hesitantly, slowly he takes the necklace carefully, Sara gives him another smile and motions him to sit on the table. Slowly he pulls himself up onto the table, as Sara walks over. He examined the necklace while she gave him a check-up, the gemstones were beautiful, it kind of reminded him of his mothers necklace. 

“So, what’s your name, buddy?” Sara asks, glancing over at him, as she looked through one of the cabinets, “Aasim…” Sara turns to face him, a fond expression crossing her features. “That’s a nice name, I’m Sar- I already said my name. I must be going crazy.” She laughs softly, setting something on the table. “Alright, how old are you, Aasim?” Aasim laughs softly, she was different from the others here, she wasn’t so cold-hearted. 

“I’m thirteen.” Sara rose a curious brow, “Really? My sister is just as old as you.” Aasim perked up a bit, there was someone else here his age? “She is?” He asks, Sara nods, frowning a bit she shakes her head and her smile returns. “You seem like a smart kid, so what do you like to do? I’m pretty sure you have done a ton of things.” Aasim perks up a bit at the question. Aasim lets out a sigh, and glances up from the necklace. 

"I love to write and play the violin" Just saying that brought back memories of the times he played the violin while Louis played the piano… It made him miss his friends even more. Aasim also missed his journal, it was one of the things that Mitch gave to him, a sharp pang hits his heart and he sighs. He wonders how Mitch was doing right now? Sara gave a soft hum, and crosses her arms. 

“Well if I find a violin I'll make sure to ask you to play.” She ruffles his hair playfully, drawing a small laugh from him, “Really, you would do that?” He asks, the corner of his lips twitching upwards. Sara chuckles and nods, “Of course, and also, if you want. I can teach you to swim.” Aasim rose a brow, he’s never really been swimming before, maybe it would be a good idea to learn. Considering the situation he is in now. 

“I’ve never been swimming before.” He whispers, he felt a little embarrassed for telling her that. Sara just lets out an amused breath and rolls her eyes playfully, “Well, looks like I can teach you.” Aasim nods and glances at her long hair, her hair reminded him of Ruby’s long red hair, and all the times he would braid hers and the other girl’s hair. For some reason, braiding hair was calming to him, it put him at ease and took his mind off the walkers. Sara looks up and frowns, “Something the matter?” She asks, 

Aasim shook his head, then sighs heavily. “Your hair, just reminds me of my friend Ruby’s hair, but hers is a bit longer than yours… I kind of miss braiding her hair.” He explains, Sara gives him a frown and sighs. “How about this? The second I am done with your physical, I will let you braid my hair.” Aasim tilts his head, she would really let him braid her hair? 

“Really? You would let me do that?” He asks, raising his brows. Interesting. Sara huffs softly, “Don’t be a nerd about it, okay?” She teases, making Aasim roll his eyes and cross his arms briefly. “I’m not a nerd.” He mutters, Sara laughs and pats him on the shoulder. 

“Sure kid, sure.” 

Aasim woke up with a softly groan, blinking rapidly he slowly sat up. He sighed softly, looking at the top bunk. “When things were simpler.” He grimaced. Shaking his head, he pushed himself off of the bed, scratching the back of the neck. Oh shit, right. Ruby cut his hair.

As he climbed off his bed, Aasim’s eyes widened seeing a black leather jacket falling off. He recognized it immediately, Sara’s. Glancing around, he spotted the top bunk empty. Of course, she was the first one awake. Smiling, Aasim picked the jacket up, walking out of the room.

Stepping out into the courtyard, he spotted all the early birds. Which was basically Clementine, Sara, and Omar. Such an interesting combination.

Walking over, he watched as Sara started to do her morning workout routine. “It looks sadder alone,” Aasim remarked, getting a scowl from the woman. She did one last push up before getting up from the ground, dusting his hands off. When she was up, Aasim held out the jacket to her. “Thanks, it kept me warm,” Aasim said. “For the five minutes, you had it?” Sara scoffed, putting it on.

Aasim looked at her, putting a hand on his hip. “Let’s spar.” He said. “Spar? Are you sure?” She questioned. “Hey, you always say to never let our guard down no matter how familiar we are with a place,” Aasim said.

Sara smirked, “Glad you’ve been paying attention.”. Aasim let out a yell as he was suddenly swept off his feet. A grunt left him as his back slammed onto the concrete floor, “Fuck…”. Sara scoffed, getting up from her swift position. “I see you haven’t been paying attention enough.” She stated, folding her arms over her chest. “No fair,” Aasim muttered. “You were the one that let your guard down.” She shot back.

“YOU SUCK!” Louis shouted as he exited the dorm rooms. “Suck a dick!” Aasim shouted back. “Only when I’m gay~!” Louis flaunted as he twirled away. Clem facepalmed as Louis twirled by. 

Is this really the guy she’s into?

“Come on lazy ass, we ain’t gonna get anything done with your royal ass on the floor,” Sara stated. “My asseth has been planted from your unfair moves.” Aasim sassed back, pushing himself up.

Back on his feet, Aasim dusted himself up. “You finally ready?” She smirked, tossing her jacket onto the picnic table nearby. Oh shit, mom’s taking off the jacket. Choosing to say nothing, Aasim got himself in a fighting position. “Bring it Yaya-”

After one embarrassing ass whooping later, Louis called for him. “Hey, Aasim wanna come hunting with us?” He asked, as Clementine followed after him with AJ, “That is, unless you’re having too much fun getting whooped.”. “Oh shut up Louis, I can beat you any day,” Aasim commented, getting a steely glare from Clem.

Flicking off Sara, he walked over to the three. “Be careful!” Sara flicked him off as well. “I will, I will mom,” Aasim shouted back as he started heading outside with them. Sara smiled at the world, heading off.

“So, mom?” Louis said. “Louis, I will cut off your tongue and make Omar cook it.” Aasim threatened. Louis let out an appalled gasp, covering his mouth. “Dude, not okay!” Louis shuddered, his dreads swaying erratically as he shook his head.

Clementine shushed them, pointing forward, “There.”. The group stopped, peaking out. “What is it?” Louis questioned. Clem glanced over more, glaring. “It’s the man from the train station.” She hissed out, her brows knitting together in disgust. “How is he alive?” AJ asked, “You shoved him into those walkers.”. 

Damn, nice Clementine.

“If you cut it off soon enough, you’ll be okay,” Aasim explained. “Shit,” AJ swore, making Aasim go wide-eyed. Who gave this gremlin permission to swear? “What’d you say his name was again?” Louis asked, leaning over a bit. Clem glared at the man, looking back at the group.

“Abel.”

Aasim froze up in absolute terror, his eyes wandering over to the one-armed man in absolute horror. “We need to leave… Now!”


	4. The Other Side Statuses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All statuses will be written by me, After AKA TheBrothersRowe, so enjoy.

You left Louis TENDER  
Louis was pleased you didn’t reject his hug  
Louis was ecstatic reuniting with you

You left Clementine VIGILANT  
You left a bad impression on Clementine when Sara attacked Louis, leaving her frustrated  
Clementine was hesitant going hunting with you

You left Mitch UNEASY  
Mitch was relieved to see you survived  
Although the guilty feeling was noticeable  
Mitch was nervous when you mentioned his hand injury

You left Sara DISAPPOINTED  
Sara was displeased when the twins failed to protect themselves  
Upon meeting the others, she acted in hostility  
She was irritated when you forced her to speak to the others  
Sara was annoyed you allowed yourself to trip up during sparring

You left Minerva MOURNING  
Finding out Violet was deceased made Minerva heartbroken  
Minerva was ashamed that she failed to kill the walker in the woods

You left Sophie PEACEFUL  
Sophie was happy reuniting with her brother  
She felt guilty slowing the group down with her injury  
Being back home made Sophie restful

You left Ruby ENLIGHTENED  
When you first returned, Ruby was emotional  
Ruby was proud you asked her to take care of your hair  
Ruby was sad you didn’t sit with her at dinner

Status of the School:  
AJ was furious finding out Abel survived the walkers  
Omar actually smiled when you returned  
Rosie was still depressed when you returned  
Willy found it amusing how much attention Mitch gave to you when you returned


	5. Episode 2: Game of Survival, Act I

“We need to go, now!” Aasim exclaimed, surprising the others. Fuck! If Abel was here then that had to have meant that Lilly was fucking here too! The sick bastards were always together.

 

     Louis frowned his brows creasing in worry, “Woah, calm down there Aasim. What’s got you all riled up? Are you suffering through stick up the ass itis?” Aasim scowls and glares at him, can’t Louis be serious once in his life?  “Just listen to me! We need to go, now!”. If Lilly and Abel see them, its game over, and Aasim wasn’t going to let them get hurt because of that twisted bitch. 

 

Clementine arched one of her brows and eyes him, as if she was trying to read him. Aasim narrows his eyes, they didn’t have fucking time for this, they needed to go. “Clementine, you have to trust me dammit!!” The boy exclaimed, staring right back at her. She looked him in the eyes, pursing her lips for a moment.

 

“Stay close, we need to go.” She whispered, starting to move. Aasim released a breath, gasping as they were moving. Thank god. Aasim knew that he would have a lot of explaining to do, but right now he wasn’t worried about that.  He was more worried about the two nuts that were in the woods with them. 

 

“Stay quiet, don't make a sound,”  Aasim whispers, glancing around a look of panic on his face. He quickly composed himself,  no time to show fear they had to get out of there. 

 

_ Stay focused… Stay Alert…  _

 

       “Aasim-” Louis starts, Aasim shook his head and glared at the taller male. His glare saying,  _ Now's not the time. _

 

Aasim froze up hearing a twig snap nearby, and a gun clicking. His heart instantly dropped into his stomach, the boy’s eyes widening in absolute horror.  _ Shit, shit. Game over. Game over.   _ His fists balls up, he needed to get them out of here... 

 

Lilly wasn’t going to hurt anybody else… Not them. 

 

In his moment of panic, however, he had forgotten how much more athletic he had become from his time at the DELTA. Because when he stopped to look back, Clementine and Louis were nowhere in sight. “AJ, wait-” Dammit! The gremlin was fucking gone too, “Little shit.”.

 

Swearing under his breath, Aasim started running back, katana in hand.  _ Just don’t fall on it, just don’t fall on it. _

 

As he got closer to where he last saw them, he felt his blood run cold hearing an all too familiar voice.  _ No, not her...anyone but her….please! _

 

_ Lilly looked down at the trembling boy, a cruel smirk curling up on her lips as she turned towards the flames. “I must say, this is quite remarkable work” Lilly lifted his chin up, forcing the crying boy to look at up at her. All he could see was the twisted grin plastered onto her face, “Ashes.”. _

 

Seeing her again wasn’t the worst part. No, the worst part was that she and her goon, Abel, were holding Louis and Clementine hostage. Clem yelped in pain as she was struck in the face by Abel’s shotgun, falling to the ground roughly. “Clem-!” Louis froze as Lilly lifted her gun, keeping it pointed at his abdomen. “All it takes is one shot.” Lilly crudely remarking, teasing him by poking him with the barrel of the gun, making him flinch.

 

Aasim felt his blood boil, his fingers gripping his weapon tighter. If this bitch thought she could touch his friends, she had another fucking thing coming.

 

“Why not make this easy on yourself and help us find a school,” Abel said. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Clem hissed out, struggling to get up from underneath Lilly’s boot.

 

The woman was not satisfied with that answer, and turned to her partner with a knowing look. A cry of pain filled the air, making Clem look up stunned as Abel struck Louis with his gun. “What about you? I know you’re quite the mouthy one. That school is our best bet in getting loyal soldiers.” Lilly stated, looking down on him.

 

Louis sat up, wincing as he held his cheek. “Well?” She asked. Louis looked up, blood running down his lip from where he was hit. The teen signaled her down, to which she actually leaned down. Once she was in his face, Louis spat blood in her face.

 

“How’s that for loyalty?” Louis said with a smirk.

 

“ _ Holy shit, he’s hot. _ ” Clem thought. Lilly wipes the blood from her face, “Fine.” She mutters, “Since this once is cocky…”  With a cruel smirk, she points the barrel of her gun at Clementine’s head. Louis’ eyes widen and he shook his head, “Come on No-”  He was cut off by Lilly pushing the barrel harder against Clementine’s head. 

 

Aasim swore softly, his anger skyrocketing.  _ No one touches his friends… No one.  _ Aasim almost jumped when a small hand was set on his arm, snapping his head to the side, he blows out a breath when he lays eyes on  AJ. 

 

_ The gremlin child was okay…  _

 

“What do we do?” AJ whispers harshly to him,  Aasim bit down on his lip, they needed to do something.   _ Think Aasim! Think!   _ He glanced at AJ, he had a gun on him… “AJ...I need you to shoot one of them.” He whispers, 

 

          AJ frowns, pursing his lips in concentration as he lifts the gun. Aasim glances at Clementine and Lilly, they were talking like they knew each other…  “Just tell us where the school is, Clementine. You wouldn't want a repeat of last time?” Lilly smirks, glancing around. “Oh, AJ isn't here?” She pushes the barrel harder against her head. 

      Aasim had enough of this bitch, “AJ...Shoot” He whispers, the little boy nodded and without hesitation, AJ fired. The gunshot rang out into the air and Lilly screamed in pain as the bullet pursed her in the hip, she stumbled back, giving Louis the chance to shove Abel away from him.  Aasim stood up, throwing his hood up. “Run!” He yells to Clem and Louis.

 

    The two looks over startled, but nevertheless, got to their feet and ran after them, Aasim glances back, he could see the two moving to their feet slowly.  A gunshot rang out, and a loud scream filled the air, one that sent shivers down his spine. Aasim halts his movements and turns around, Clementine was on the ground, clutching her side, “Clem! Oh, shit Clem!” Louis yells, picking her up, Aasim ran back to them quickly. 

 

“Come on, Lou. We need to get her back to Sara.”  He says, glancing behind him as walkers start to come out of the woods, heading to Lilly and Abel. “The walkers should distract them and buy us some time,”  Aasim states, hoping that it was true. Louis nods and adjusts Clementine in her arms before sprinting ahead, AJ and Aasim following after him.

_ Shit! Shit! He needed to tell Sara and the others. _

 

Aasim grimaces, this shouldn’t have happened… One thing was for sure, he wasn’t going to let that woman hurt them.   Aasim shook his head, he needed to worry about getting the others back to the school, getting Clementine back to the school.     

**Author's Note:**

> Sara is an OC, that belongs to TheBrothersRowe!!!


End file.
